Enter the Dragon
|mi= |myr=Lóng Zhēng Hǔ Dòu|y=Lùhng Jāng Fú Dau}} | image = Enter the dragon.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Robert Clouse | producer = Bruce Lee Fred Weintraub Paul Heller Raymond Chow | writer = Michael Allin | starring = Bruce Lee John Saxon Ahna Capri Bob Wall Shih Kien Jim Kelly | music = Lalo Schifrin | cinematography = Gilbert Hubbs | editing = Kurt Hirschler George Watters | studio = Warner Bros. Concord Production Inc. | distributor = Golden Harvest Kong)}} Warner Bros. | released = | country = Hong Kong United States | runtime = 102 minutes | language = English Cantonese | budget = $850,000 | gross = }} Enter the Dragon is a 1973 martial arts action film produced by and starring Bruce Lee. The film, which co-stars John Saxon and Jim Kelly, was directed by Robert Clouse. It would be Bruce Lee's final completed film appearance before his death on 20 July 1973 at age 32. A joint American and Hong Kong production, it premiered in Los Angeles on 19 August 1973, one month after Lee's death and went on to gross worldwide, equivalent to million}} adjusted for inflation. Enter the Dragon is considered to be one of the greatest martial arts films of all time. In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Among the first films to combine martial arts action with the emerging Blaxploitation genre, its success led to a series of similar productions combining both genres. Edited by Poshek Fu China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema|last=Fu|first=Poshek|website=www.press.uillinois.edu|access-date=2016-05-10}} Its themes have also generated scholarly debate about how they reflect the changes taking place within post-colonial Asian societies following the end of World War II. Plot Lee, a highly proficient Shaolin martial artist and instructor from Hong Kong, is approached by Braithwaite, a British intelligence agent investigating the suspected crime lord Han. Lee is asked to attend a high-profile martial arts competition on Han's private island in order to gather evidence that will prove Han's involvement in drug and human trafficking. Initially hesitant, Lee is convinced to attend after he also learns that his sister's killer, O'Hara, is working on the island as Han's personal bodyguard. Also fighting in the competition are heavily indebted gambling addict Roper and his fellow Vietnam war veteran Williams. At the end of the first day, Han gives strict orders to the competitors not to leave their rooms at night. Lee is able to make contact with Braithwaite's undercover operative Mei Ling, who explains she is running out of time before she is "disappeared" like the other girls before her. Lee sneaks out looking for evidence, but is noticed by Williams, who has ignored the warnings from his escorts and also left his room for some fresh air. Lee is subsequently discovered by several guards but manages to escape without being identified. The next morning, Han orders his fearsome head guard Bolo to publicly kill last night's guards for failing in their duties. After the executions, Lee faces O'Hara in the competition and after an emotional fight, beats and kills him. Roper and Williams also successfully beat their assigned opponents, ending the second day of the competition. Afterwards, Han confronts Williams about him leaving his room the previous night, demanding to know who else left their room. Williams refuses to be intimidated, but underestimates Han and is beaten to death in the ensuing fight. Later that evening Han reveals his drug operation to Roper, hoping that he will join his organization and exploit his American contacts. Roper is initially relieved to finally see a way out of his gambling debts, but angrily refuses after Han shows him Williams' badly beaten body. Meanwhile, Lee sneaks out again and this time manages to send a message to Braithwaite, but is then captured after a prolonged battle with the guards. The next morning, Han arranges for Roper to fight Lee, but Roper refuses. As punishment, Roper must fight Bolo instead, whom he manages to overpower and kill after a grueling encounter. Enraged by the unexpected result, Han commands his remaining men to kill Lee and Roper. Facing insurmountable odds, they are unexpectedly aided by the island's many prisoners, who have been freed by Mei Ling. Han flees from the battle but is pursued by Lee, who finally corners him in his private museum. After a brutal fight, Han escapes into a hidden room - a hall of mirrors - and Lee follows. Han initially has the advantage, but Lee breaks all the room's mirrors to reveal his location, and eventually kills him. Lee returns outside to the main battle, which is now over. A bruised and bloodied Roper sits victorious while the military finally arrive to take control of the island. Cast * Bruce Lee as Lee * John Saxon as Roper * Jim Kelly as Williams * Ahna Capri as Tania * Shih Kien as Han (voice dubbed by Keye Luke) * Robert Wall as O'Hara (as Bob Wall) * Angela Mao as Su Lin, Lee's sister (as Angela Mao Ying) * Betty Chung as Mei Ling * Geoffrey Weeks as Braithwaite * Bolo Yeung as Bolo (as Yang Sze) * Peter Archer as Parsons * Ho Lee Yan as Old Man * Marlene Clark as Secretary * Allan Kent as Golfer * William Keller as L.A. Cop * Mickey Caruso as L.A. Cop * Pat E. Johnson as Hood * Darnell Garcia as Hood * Mike Bissell as Hood * Jackie Chan as Han's henchman * Sammo Hung as Shaolin fighter * Roy Chiao as Shaolin Abbott * Paul Heller as Radio Operator * Lam Ching Ying * Tony Liu as Tournament fighter * Alan Chui Chung-San as Tournament fighter * Yuen Biao as Tournament fighter *Antone Pagan as Young Shaolin Monk * Yuen Wah as Tournament fighter * Hidy Ochiai * Wei Tung as Lao * Tadashi Yamashita * Mars as Guard * Mang Hoi as Ship's mate Production Due to the success with his earlier films, Warner Bros began helping Bruce Lee with the film in 1972. They brought in producers Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller. Writing The screenplay title was originally named Blood and Steel. The story features Asian, White and Black heroic protagonists because the producers wanted a film that would appeal to the widest possible international audiences. The scene in which Lee states that his style is "Fighting Without Fighting" is based upon a famous anecdote involving the 16th century samurai Tsukahara Bokuden. Casting John Saxon is a black belt in Judo and Shotokan Karate, who studied under grandmaster Hidetaka Nishiyama for three years. In negotiations, his agent told the film's producers that if they wanted him they would have to change the story so that the character of Williams would be killed, not Roper. They agreed and the script was changed. Rockne Tarkington was originally cast in the role of Williams. However, he unexpectedly dropped out days before the production was about to begin in Hong Kong. Producer Fred Weintraub knew that karate world champion, Jim Kelly had a training dojo in Crenshaw, Los Angeles so he hastily arranged a meeting. Weintraub was immediately impressed, and Kelly was cast in the film. The success of Kelly's appearance launched his career as a star: after Enter the Dragon, he signed a three-film deal with Warner Bros and went on to make several martial arts-themed blaxploitation films in the 1970s.Reflections on Blaxploitation: Actors and Directors Speak, 2009. pps.129-130 Jackie Chan appears as a guard during the underground lair battle scene and gets his neck snapped by Lee. He also performed several stunts for the film, including the scene where Lee's character quickly climbs a rooftop at night. However, Yuen Wah was Lee's main stunt double for the film. Jackie Chan along with notable actors Key Luke of "The Gremlins and Antone Pagán of "Stripes" are uncredited. Sammo Hung appears in a brief fight scene against Lee at the start of the film. An urban legend surrounding the making of Enter The Dragon claims that actor Bob Wall did not like Bruce Lee and that their fight scenes were not choreographed. However, Wall has denied this stating he and Lee were actually good friends. Filming The film was shot on location in Hong Kong. All scenes were filmed without sound: dialogue and sound effects were added or dubbed in during post-production. Bruce Lee, after he had been goaded or challenged, fought several real fights with the film's extras and some set intruders during filming. The scenes of Han's Island were filmed at a residence known as Palm Villa near the coastal town of Stanley. Soundtrack Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin composed the film's musical score. While Schifrin was widely known at the time for his jazz scores, he also incorporated funk and traditional film score elements into the film's soundtrack. He composed the score by sampling sounds from China, Korea, and Japan. The soundtrack has sold over 500,000 copies, earning a gold record. Release Box office Enter the Dragon was heavily advertised in the United States before its release. The budget for advertising was over $1,000,000. It was unlike any promotional campaign that had been seen before, and was extremely comprehensive. In order to advertise the film, the studio offered free Karate classes, produced thousands of illustrated flip books, comic books, posters, photographs, and organized dozens of news releases, interviews, and public appearances for the stars. Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Newsweek all wrote stories on the film. The filmed earned a profit of in the United States, against a tight budget of $850,000.Variety says the film earned $4.25 million in North American rentals in 1973. See "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 19 It was one of the most successful films of 1973. In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$3,307,536 —huge business for the time, but substantially less than Lee's Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon. In Japan, the film grossed .『キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924-2011』（キネマ旬報社、2012年）322頁 In India, the movie was released in 1975 and opened to full houses, including a packed 32-week run in Bombay. In France, it was one of the top five highest-grossing films of 1974 (above two other Lee films, Way of the Dragon at #8 and Fist of Fury at #12), with 4,444,582 box office admissions. In Germany, it was one of the top ten highest-grossing films of 1974, with 1.7 million box office admissions. Worldwide, the film grossed , including in international markets outside of the United States. The film's worldwide gross is equivalent to million}} when adjusted for inflation. Critical reception The film was well received by critics and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1973. Critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as "a low-rent James Bond thriller",[http://movies.tvguide.com/enter-the-dragon/review/113986 Enter the Dragon, TV Guide Movie Review.] TV Guide. Retrieved 28 September 2012.The Fourth Virgin Film Guide by James Pallot and the editors of Cinebooks, published by Virgin Books, 1995 a "remake of Dr. No" with elements of Fu Manchu.Hong Kong Action Cinema by Bey Logan, published by Titan Books, 1995 J.C. Maçek III of PopMatters wrote, "Of course the real showcase here is the obvious star here, Bruce Lee, whose performance as an actor and a fighter are the most enhanced by the perfect sound and video transfer. While Kelly was a famous martial artist and a surprisingly good actor and Saxon was a famous actor and a surprisingly good martial artist, Lee proves to be a master of both fields." Many acclaimed newspapers and magazines reviewed the film. Variety described it as "rich in the atmosphere", the music score as "a strong asset" and the photography as "interesting". Additionally, The New York Times gave the film a rave review. The review stated "The picture is expertly made and well-meshed; it moves like lightning and brims with color. It is also the most savagely murderous and numbing hand-hacker (not a gun in it) you will ever see anywhere." The film currently holds a 93% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with 46 reviews counted and an average rating of 7.8/10. In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film also ranks No. 474 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. Censorship After its worldwide release in 1973, the full uncut film was unavailable in the United Kingdom because all scenes showing martial art weapons like chainsticks or throwing stars were cut by the British Board of Film Classification over concerns they promoted violence. Although some cuts were restored in 1988, when the film was first made available on VHS, scenes involving chainsticks remained banned. It was not until 2001, when the film was reclassified for video, that all previous cuts were fully restored. . Legacy The film has been parodied and referenced in places such as the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again, the satirical publication The Onion, the Japanese game-show Takeshi's Castle, and the 1977 John Landis comedy anthology film Kentucky Fried Movie (in its lengthy "A Fistful of Yen" sequence, basically a comedic, note for note remake of Dragon) and also in the film Balls of Fury. It was also parodied on television in That '70s Show during the episode "Jackie Moves On" with regular character Fez taking on the Bruce Lee role. Several clips from the film are comically used during the theatre scene in The Last Dragon. In August 2007, the now defunct Warner Independent Pictures announced that television producer Kurt Sutter would be remaking the film as a noir-style thriller entitled Awaken the Dragon with Korean singer-actor Rain starring. It was announced in September 2014 that Spike Lee would work on the remake. In March 2015, Brett Ratner revealed that he wanted to make the remake. In July 2018, David Leitch is in early talks to direct the remake. The little-known 1985 Nintendo arcade game Arm Wrestling contains voice leftovers from the film, as well as their original counterparts. The popular video game Mortal Kombat borrows multiple plot elements from Enter the Dragon. The popular 1980s martial arts video game Double Dragon features two enemies named Roper and Williams, a reference to the two characters Roper and Williams from Enter the Dragon. The sequel includes opponents named Bolo and O'Hara. Lee's martial arts films were broadly lampooned in the recurring Almost Live! sketch Mind Your Manners with Billy Quan. Home media Most DVDs and Blu-rays come with a wide range of extra features in the form of documentaries, interviews, etc. In 2013, a second, remastered HD transfer appeared on Blu-ray, billed as the "40th Anniversary Edition". References External links * * * * * Category:1973 films Category:1970s action films Category:1970s martial arts films Category:American martial arts films Category:American action films Category:English-language films Category:Films about revenge Category:Films set in Hong Kong Category:Films set in Los Angeles Category:Films set on islands Category:Golden Harvest films Category:Hong Kong films Category:Hong Kong action films Category:Kung fu films Category:Jeet Kune Do films Category:Hong Kong martial arts films Category:Martial arts tournament films Category:United States National Film Registry films Category:Warner Bros. films Category:Films directed by Robert Clouse Category:Films scored by Lalo Schifrin Category:Concord Production Inc. films